Building an expansion team from the ground up is tough in any league in any sport, notoriously so in MLS. New York City FC is finding that out the hard way. But if they’re looking for either an inspiration or blueprint, they just have to look across the field Sunday at Yankee Stadium when they face Seattle.

Nine of the 11 expansion sides that have entered MLS have suffered losing records, and stuck on an MLS-worst six-game winless skid, NYCFC doesn’t want to make it 10-of-12. But the Sounders are one of the two that didn’t, winning the 2009 U.S. Open Cup, and they’re playing well again (4-2-1, 13 points) as they come to the Bronx.

The same can’t be said for NYCFC (1-4-3, six points), whose winless skid is the longest in the league this year and has them stuck in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

“Obviously we’re not getting the results we’d like,’’ said defender Chris Wingert. “But it’s good because it’s giving us extra urgency to make sure we work hard day in and day out at practice.’’

Star striker David Villa returned to practice after missing two games, and he’ll be in the squad for Sunday. He could be a huge lift for a team that has just five goals in eight games — second-worst in MLS — and is mired in a 213-minute scoreless drought.

“It’s a very difficult thing in this league — and I’ve always thought so — when you have extremely important players like that, that you’re allocating a lot of resources to, you need those guys on the field,” said coach Jason Kreis. “It’s not just about what David Villa is. It’s also about what he brings to the group and how everyone feels more confident and positive.’’

Villa had nursed and played through a groin issue that had dogged him since the preseason. Then came what had been presumed to be a hamstring issue, that was later diagnosed as right hip irritation.

“The real area of concern is the hip. I think everything is stemming from there,” Kreis said. “It’s something we need to be mindful of. I think we’ve got it in a good place now and we need to consider it as we move forward as well.’’

Moving forward is the key, with NYCFC fully expecting to turn things around, especially with the anticipated summer arrival of English midfielder Frank Lampard. But it’s a tough climb for expansion teams — or at least the overwhelming majority of them.

Sigi Schmid has been Seattle’s coach since the Sounders’ debut in 2009. Now Seattle comes in off back-to-back wins, with Clint Dempsey having a goal or assist in all five tilts in which he has played.

“Building a franchise is never easy,” Schmid told reporters on Thursday. “Now I’ve done it [with Seattle] where you start it with a team a team from scratch. They’ve all been interesting projects. They’re all different, they’re all fun, they’re all challenging. But certainly building a team from scratch, it requires probably the most hours.”